An abandoned dog that waited three years for his owners to return has finally found a new home.

Chen the Chow was left behind when his owners deserted their Atlanta home, but he stuck around, sleeping in the carport and scavenging food scraps from a nearby grocery store.

Finally, after years of watching Chen wander the property, a neighbor told Lisa Renstrom of Chap’s Chow Rescue about the dog.

"He was waiting and waiting for his people to come home," Renstrom told 11 Alive News. "He absolutely would not leave that house. The people on either side would throw rocks and try to chase him away. He would not leave."

It took Renstrom a few weeks to gain Chen’s trust, but she won him over with kindness and food and took him to her dog rescue.

Healthy, happy and no longer alone, Chen was ready for his forever home, and Renstrom started looking. It didn’t take long.

Ben Rupp of Ohio saw Chen’s photo on Petfinder.com and felt a connection to the deserted dog. Chen reminded him of his Chow, Goldie, who had recently passed away after 13 years of companionship.

"His features are very similar to my old dog. The pictures and the story, it all came together,” Rupp told 11Alive.

Rupp called Renstrom and then booked a private jet and flew to Georgia, where Chen met him on the tarmac.

Although Renstrom had grown attached to Chen, she gave him a kiss goodbye and wished him well as he boarded the plane with Rupp.